Friday, March 25, 2011

I told you I've been busy. LOL. Here's some stuff from the short films I've worked on.

First is the teaser trailer for "Flappy Hands". I Costume Designed and ended up producing as well. Designers and producers generally don't get along...its usually "Hey I'd like to make this look awesome for you so can I get a bigger budget?" "No."

I pretty much had to argue with myself and even hated myself at times. Never again. Just put me in the wardrobe trailer where I belong!

Next, I was the makeup consultant for a piece that's currently untitled. I generally don't like to do makeup, but I'll do ghoulish things every once in a while:

latex and acrylic.

And finally, I designed costumes for a party scene that later turned into a blood bath. Rather than show you the soiled clothing, I'll just show you one of the "befores". Irma was a very thin, athletic girl. I changed that by putting her in elastic waisted acid wash jeans, horizontal striped tank, and an oversized 80's shirt. To insure that she didn't look like a hipster, I stuffed her pants to give her a gunt.

What a busy week! I'm in the middle of designing THREE shows...on top of that, I styled a music video for Manika's new single "Just Can't Let You Go", featuring Lil Twist. I was particularly excited to be working with the legendary Travis Payne. In the short time I got to work with him, I have to say he's my new favorite director to work with. He had nothing but positive energy the entire time, was eager to take time and meet each crew member individually, and made sure to thank everyone at least three times on set. He knew exactly what shots he wanted, and expressed a clear vision from the very beginning for what kind of look he was going for.

You can find out why I was so excited and why I consider him a legend, here.

Music Videos are one of the most stressful and miserable sets to work on. The hours are at least 16 hours minimum, with a crappy rate. This one was definitely the exception. I won't get into the financial logisitics, but I will say that the actual shoot was about six hours--A NEW WORLD RECORD!

Both of the performers were very very young and surprisingly sweet, particularly Lil Twist. He actually called me "ma'am". I just hope the fame doesn't warp their semi-innocent but very naive minds.

I got those babies for the shoot from Barney's. They were a specific request and they were practically impossible to find. I think I went to like 8 different stores. Aren't they fab?! They're from John Varvatos for Converse. The shoe is a shiny beat up coated material with studded ankles...only $200!!

I'm gonna take a second to share something one of the production assistants said to me on set. He said, "I'm pretty sure you're my favorite stylist I've ever worked with. Ever."

Me: "For real? Cool. How come?"

He replied, "You treat us like people, I mean please and thank you go a long way. You're not snobby at all, you don't act like you're the hot shit on set, you don't demand that we do everything for you. You're just cool".

Wow. Please and thank you?? I've been around lots of other stylists and designers...and I have to admit I've witnessed plenty of diva-like behavior. If I can leave you with one thing, it is the reminder that EVERY crew member is equally important and deserves the same amount of respect as the director, the keys, and talent. I don't care who you are, you need to always thank who you're working with. Travis Payne is a prime example of that. He was loved and adored by everyone on set and that itself made the whole shoot roll smoothly.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Yesterday, I gave a wardrobe makeover to a hilarious young man. My client (whom I will refer to as Louie) started out with a 38" waist and an XL/XXL tshirt size. With the help of diet and exercise--NO EATING DISORDERS OR STUPID FASTS AND/OR PILLS, he has successfully shrunken down to a waist size between 34" and 36" and a MEDIUM tshirt size. I am so proud of him, especially for doing it the right way.

Louie is a budding comedian and has been looking to change his look and get healthy. He contacted me and asked how much he would need to get a wardrobe makeover since nothing of his fit anymore. I told him $200 would be enough to start and that I was pretty good at staying on budget.

Let me just say, that with that $200, we got:

-2 pairs of shorts

-5 tshirts

-2 polos

-3 dress shirts

-1 cardigan

-3 day shirts

Everything was brand new, none of it was purchased second hand or via thrift.

I know how to shop. I'm good at giving wardrobe makeovers. I stay on budget. If you need my services, contact me via my website: http://www.xtinakim.com.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

First off, forgive me if the format is a bit off. As I mentioned before, we got rid of our Internet so updates are not as frequent. That being said, I just downloaded a new blogging app for my phone...testing it out tonight and the reviews for this app havent too positive. We shall see.

So, the oscars were last week. I have to say, Colleen Atwood's acceptance speech made me not like her. She was dressed as the poor man's Stifler's mom and seemed extremely ungrateful. It's the same four women nominated every year for period pieces or a Tim Burton flick. That being said, I feel like Burlesque got shafted on costume nomination! Dude, you may not have cared for the story or anything else in that movie, but you cannot deny the incredible beauty and craftsmanship of those costumes.

I feel like everyone who watched The Social Network in the theater has been completely brainwashed. What's up with all those nominations?? Congrats to Trent Reznor for his win, but that score was pretty mediocre. In fact, mediocre is my word for describing that movie. It's a celebration of lazy filmmaking and I'm quite offended that people are praising it this much. What was up with that wardrobe?! Gross! I get what they were going for, but there is a MUCH better way to achieve it. This industry is disappointing me a lot lately ...so is the audience. Cmon brothers and sisters. WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS